Nikolai Nekrasov is one of Russia’s most famous poets and literary thinkers. While he is not as recognized abroad as some of his contemporaries like Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Turgenev, Nekrasov was a great influence on their careers as well as to as to the intellectual thought of the time that affected many of these great […]

The Dostoyevsky Memorial Apartment Museum is dedicated to drawing a picture of the great Russian writer as a person with a focus on his work habits, on his concerns, and particularly on his family life. Even discussion of his greatest novels is presented within the context of telling us more about his family, which was […]

The Alexander Pushkin Museum and Memorial Apartment in St. Petersburg, Russia, makes, appropriately, a very strong use of narrative. The museum builds the story of Pushkin, his life and writing, all while maintaining a tight focus on the end of his story – a tragic death that, it seems, has never stopped being mourned. The […]

The Nabokov House Museum stands only minutes away from Russia’s famous Saint Isaac’s Cathedral on Bol’shaya Morskaya utlitsa in St Petersburg. The only signs advertising the museum are two small stone cravings that identify the building as Nabokov’s former home. Otherwise, the museum is a hidden literary treasure, available to those that know where to […]

“What should I see in Moscow?” is a question we hear often – and one that entirely depends on your interests. Moscow is vast with an astonishing number of museums and galleries. The guide below lists a few of the major museums and galleries based on what the interest they would appeal to. See our […]

One of the best things to do when living or studying abroad, is to visit museums and historical institutes to try and learn about that particular place. For me, visiting museums is a no-brainer since I work in museums. I enjoy them. I find it fascinating to see how each museum operates, how they present […]

Saint Petersburg has been called home for several renowned artists and musicians, including figures in classical music. Admirers of Russian opera and orchestra should pay a visit to the apartment museum of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, a prolific composer and member of the “Russian Five.” This nationalistic group of 19th century composers, which included Mily Balakirev, Modest […]

Anna Akhmatova is Saint Petersburg’s most beloved female poet. Her home, tucked behind the portal of a common leafy courtyard, serves as a place of pilgrimage for legions of literary admirers. A literary museum, Akhmatova’s apartment operates as a museum of witness of her complicated and often tragic life as a writer struggling to speak […]

Like any good traveler, after booking my flight to Vladivostok, I set off to the library to do a little bit of research on the city in which I was about to spend the next nine months. Not expecting to find much, I was yet still underwhelmed. My university’s library database turned up a small […]

Although it has been more than 20 years since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, there are still traces of its legacy throughout St. Petersburg, whether it is an old emblem on a building or a sign referring to Leningrad, St. Petersburg’s former Soviet name. One such remnant is the Kirov Museum, dedicated to the life of Sergei […]

Works of Ilya Yefimovich Repin can be found in St. Petersburg at the Russian Museum, including his famous portraits of Lev Tolstoy. Reproductions of his paintings can be found in art stores across the city, and postcards bearing one of his works can be purchased in souvenir shops for only a few rubles. But not […]

Situated between rows of high-rises and block apartment buildings stands a charming wooden house that was the home of one of Russia’s most famous artists. Victor M. Vasnetsov (1848-1926) created genre, historical, and religious art. His house reflects this and most items are either inspired by or made by the artist. The small, green-and-white house is […]